Bonded
by shaysdragon
Summary: What would YOU do to save the ones you care about from death? One-shot for the moment, but will likely expand later and go from T to M. Story contains spoilers for Into Darkness. K/S/U


**Disclaimer:** I don't own operate or have anything to do with the creators, publishers or distributors of Star Trek in any of it's incarnations. This is a work of fiction based on existing characters and my own fantasy. I claim only to be a rabid fangirl, who occasionally obsesses over a K/S/U threesome and Benedict Cumberbatch's voice.

**Disclaimer #2**: Contains Spoilers for Star Trek: Into Darkness.

* * *

Nyota Uhura stared through the glass of sick bay at the two unconscious men lying on tables in front of her (well, technically one was locked in stasis after dying in the Warp Reactor) - the two men who were fast coming to mean the universe to her. One of those men was her lover, teacher, and best friend despite the fact he was a different species. Spock almost always gave the illusion of perfect Vulcan calm, logic, and precision, though Nyota knew firsthand the depth of emotion that he kept hidden from the rest of the world. The other was the man who had originally driven her crazy with his cavalier attitude, cockiness and immaturity, but who had proven to be far deeper than she could have ever imagined. Yes he was still cocky, occasionally immature, and would flirt with anything (male, female, alien-species) if they were even remotely attractive, but he was also so deeply committed to the Enterprise and her crew to the point that it bordered on obsession. His passion and humor combined with his intelligence made him the kind of Captain his crew would follow until the end of the universe. Together they were the perfect command team – fire and ice, passion and logic. They balanced each other on a professional level as well as personal. Unlikely best friends, since Spock had once marooned Kirk on Delta Vega and Kirk had managed to cheat and win on a high profile no-win scenario exercise back at Starfleet, working together had given each an insight into the other and respect had turned into deep friendship. _Deep friendship, Nyota? Really?! I'm deluding myself. I saw the expression on both of their faces as they were separated by the glass of the warp core. It was anguish and not just the anguish of losing just a 'friend'. It was the anguish of losing something deeper, more intense, and more intimate. _Spock's heartrending scream of 'Khan' echoed through her mind and caused her to shiver in remembrance. _They are bonded and I will have to accept that eventually. They are both clueless enough in their own way that they may not even realize it yet, but communication is my life and breath. I can read the unspoken cues, the body language, the tone of even their most casual conversation… they both care deeper than they are ready to admit. _A sigh echoed through her body as a niggling little voice whispered. _What about you? When are you going to admit to yourself that it wasn't only Spock's heart that was breaking as Jim was dying…?_

"You can go in there," Dr. McCoy said quietly, the tone of his voice indicating how serious the situation was since it lacked his usual brusque and colorful metaphors. "I am about to give Jim the infusion of Khan's blood. The hobgoblin refused to leave so I had to sedate him to keep him from tearing my sick bay apart, but having him knocked out isn't helping Jim much. Since you and Spock are an item, I was hoping you could do something for me. I have a theory. I know Jim and the other Spock have done a mind meld before, as I am sure you and Spock have. I think Jim may react better if he has that steadying calm. The only problem is Spock is far from calm –which is where you come in. Do you think that you can calm Spock enough to help him steady Jim?"

Nyota's face flashed surprise at the doctor's mention that Spock Prime and Jim had melded, but it made sense when she thought about the way Jim had deftly manipulated Spock into attacking him on the bridge. That took a deeper knowledge of knowing what buttons to push than she had given Kirk credit for. Taking a deep breath, she answered, "I can try but I am not sure anymore if my connection to Spock is enough to calm him."

"I am not sure which of the two is more damn mule-headed, but I do know that you can handle both of them." McCoy gestured her to precede him into the room.

Nyota walked to the bed where Spock lay and took his hand in hers. With a nod she watched as Bones administered a hypo to wake Spock. The effect was immediate. Spock sat bolt upright and would have gone immediately for McCoy's throat if Nyota didn't have a death grip on his hand and was projecting as much calm as she could to the touch telepath.

"Doctor, your use of a hypo to render me unconscious was a breach of medical ethics and could be deemed a violation of Regulation 13825. As acting captain I have the right to observe any procedure in Sick Bay if needed. As a science officer, I have the skill and knowledge to make any serum more effective."

"You were tearing up my sick bay, making the staff uncomfortable and trying to take over my replication of the serum pulled from Khan's blood. I am a human doctor and know human biology better than any green blooded hobgoblin as well as intimately knowing Jim's allergy history and medical record. You may have killed him accidently."

"As he is technically dead, I fail to see your logic."

"Cold blooded computer," McCoy stated. "I am trying to bring him back and needed to do that without your interference. Now shut up and listen to your girlfriend for a moment while I prep this."

"Spock," Nyota pulled him to her and set her free hand on his chest, making sure one hand rested on his heart and the other was held fast in his. "Bones has an idea. If you meld with Jim as he receives the transfusion, it may help keep him steady as his body fights it. However, I know you are emotionally compromised here," She gave him a look full of love, sympathy, and loss, "I may be able to calm you, so you can be what Jim needs. He is the most important thing right now."

"The concept is logical, I will assist however necessary," Spock said before adding for her ears alone, "Do not discount your importance to me, Nyota. The doctor is correct in that the only person onboard the Enterprise that can calm me is you. I value and need that."

Nyota stretched up to place a kiss on his lips.

"Ahem." The sarcasm was thinly veiled. "I realize that Jim is in stasis right now, but any time you two are ready, I would like to get started."

"Sorry, Doctor." Spock answered, "It will be best if I place this hand on his head while Nyota retains a hold on my other." Quickly they moved into position. As one they nodded to Bones, who muttered under his breath before pressing a hypo needle into Jim's neck.

Nyota thought she heard the words "this better work or I am going to find the most virulent strain of Romulan flu I can find and inject that damn frozen superhuman and kill him slowly" come out of the Doctor's mouth as he pushed the serum. She held her breath as Bones stepped back.

The reaction was immediate – Kirk's body started to thrash on the table. McCoy called immediately for restraints and grabbed Jim's legs, as Nyota threw her body across his in an attempt to hold him down with her weight, while making sure her hand never left Spock's. However, after the first reaction, the thrashing subsided and instead Kirk's heart started racing and sweat started to slide down his face. His head still twitched and a faint moaning escaped his lips. _It looks like he is caught in a nightmare._ Without thinking, Nyota grabbed one of Jim's free hands with hers and placed the hand that was interlaced with Spock's on his other where it rested on Jim's chest, twining all three of their fingers together.

Instantly she was pulled out of her body; she could distantly feel Bones catching her as her legs gave out and screaming for a chair, but the impression was swiftly gone. In front of her stood Spock and Jim, it almost seemed like they were on the bridge of the Enterprise, but while it hinted at the bridge, everything was white except the men in front of her. Three screens were in front of them, one showed the Enterprise as her crew desperately tried to restore power to stop the ship from falling, another showed Jim in the Warp core on the Enterprise, and the third showed Spock chasing after Khan through the streets and skies of San Francisco. Both men stood face to face yelling at each other and gesturing wildly to the screens, but it appeared that neither could hear what the other was saying and she could see the frustration growing. She instinctively knew what she needed to do. It was her duty as the communications officer for the Enterprise, but more importantly, she acknowledged that she loved them both deeply enough to be the bridge they needed to find their way to speak to each other. Stepping forward, she moved into their line of sight. Together they turned and looked at her. "Nyota" Spock mouthed silently, while Jim said, "Uhura". She reached out her hands to each of them, as one they each grabbed one…

The onslaught of emotion was deafening.

"How could you go into the Warp Core? It's illogical!"

"You knew that chasing Khan was going to get you killed! The crew needed you, damn it!"

"Radiation suit captain! You didn't even bother to try to put on a radiation suit! I can only assume it was some human sense of guilt that caused your suicidal impulse."

"I was trying to save my crew, which you obviously didn't think about as you hurtled through the skies above San Francisco chasing a homicidal maniac. Besides you have no right to call me suicidal after that stunt you pulled on Nibiru."

"It was logical-"

"STOP!" Nyota screamed as the anger, despair, coldness, fear, guilt, and rage from the two washed over her. "Stop it both of you! You aren't helping each other and it is killing us." Somehow she knew that statement was true – another flash of sickbay, beds pushed together, Bones running around frantically looking for anything that would slow their racing hearts and blood pressure – "You need to stop hiding. You need to fight this by working together. Khan's blood amplifies the heat. Vulcan blood focuses the rage. Stop blaming yourself and each other and start saying what you feel."

"Emotion is illogical in this instance."

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?"

Nyota centered herself, focused, pulled energy from her chi and sent a wave of calming emotion through her hands at them. They immediately stopped their comments. Her knees buckled and she gasped for a moment trying to catch her breath.

"What the…"

"Nyota, you appear to be using your own life force to hold the communication bridge necessary to maintain this discussion."

"Now he gets it," Nyota grumbled under her breath. "Look. I know you are both angry with each other but there is an underlying reason why. You need to acknowledge it. You need to put aside your fear and guilt and tell each other. We are in each other's minds. We can misdirect but we can't lie… and we are dying. It's up to both of you if you want all three of us to live."

"Why isn't it up to the three of us? Why are you leaving yourself out of the equation?" Jim asked curiously.

"Because I have already made the decision, that I do not want to live if both of you aren't in my world." She replied quietly.

"Nyota…" Spock's voice drifted off as he tried to process what she meant.

"I can understand Spock, but you don't even like me." Jim countered, the longing in his voice coming through.

"Not true, Captain. I have felt her shifting emotion in the bond that we share. You are correct in your assumption that she once thought of you as frivolous, but it has been some time since she has felt you were worthy of respect and admiration, both as a captain and as a friend. I also know she finds you physically attractive. I will admit that I have similar opinions."

The expression on Jim's face was priceless. As it was obvious that he was momentarily rendered speechless, Nyota took advantage of the moment to say to her lover. "I have watched your emotions as well, my love, and I know that it's a bit deeper than a similar opinion. You are both bonding to each other whether you mean to or not. Together you are much stronger than each of you alone. I know this. I also love you enough to step out of the situation, if needed. No matter what happens, I will always remain your friend."

"I do not wish for you to, as you put it, 'step out of the situation'. Is a triangle not the most stable of geometric shapes? I am bonded to you as well, by my own choice. I do not wish to give that up."

"Wait a moment," Jim held up the hand that wasn't connected to Nyota. "I really need some clarification here." He pointed at Nyota. "You actually respect me, are attracted to me, and admire me even though I am frivolous?"

"Physical perfection aside, you are a flirt, Kirk... Jim," Nyota smiled at him, "But you are also passionate and deeply committed to the Enterprise and her crew. I respect that… and since I have to be honest… it's a really big turn-on for me. You are my friend and will remain so, even if I can't tell you exactly when you became it."

"You," he pointed at Spock, "agree with everything she said which basically means that you also find physically attractive. I will admit we do function better as a team, even when your cold logic drives me crazy, and your friendship has meant more to me in the last year than I ever dreamed would be possible. I can even see and understand that we have been slowly building an unconscious bond. I need your cool advice on situations as much as I need to tease you about it. It makes me better – a better person and a better captain… and yes, I think you are hot but there was no way I was going to interfere in what was obviously an emotional bond between you and Nyota. But did I just really hear you suggest a threesome or am I going crazy?"

"What you don't want me, now?" Nyota teased.

"Yeah… fat chance there. I have been half in-love and half-obsessed with you since you walked into a bar and accused me of sleeping with farm animals. Not only did you not immediately fall for my charm, but you turned the tables on me in a thoroughly sexy way. If you haven't gathered by now, I tend to like a challenge and you were the one that I never could beat."

"So Captain," She winked at him, "Would you care to join me and my bondmate, who also is apparently your bondmate, in a relationship that probably breaks 17+ different Starfleet regulations, to save the sanity of your friends and the crew of the starship you love?"

"By my calculations, the relationship would only break 13 current Starfleet regulations."

"Spock."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Shut up." Jim reached out and took Spock's free hand.

* * *

Doctor McCoy stared at his friends worriedly, as they lay on the tables, their hands still connected. _They aren't struggling anymore. I wish I knew what was happening? I am so going to kill Jim, Nyota, and that pointy-eared bastard if they don't die first._

Suddenly all three of them opened their eyes simultaneously, sat up, and took a gasping breath. They looked down at their linked hands. Jim and Nyota started laughing, while the corners of Spock's mouth turned up in what McCoy would have called a smile – If he had ever actually seen Vulcan's smile.

The laughter spurred McCoy into action and he started bustling around the three of them, muttering dire things under his breath, out of sheer relief. While he noticed that they kept their hands linked, he made no comment on it. _Probably some damn Vulcan thing_. Finally he pronounced them healthy, though he restricted Kirk to his rooms for observation for a period of 48 hours to monitor for potential side effects from the injection. Shooing them out of his sick bay, he watched out of the corner of his eye as they finally, hesitantly, disengaged their hands.

Jim wasn't sure who was the most afraid that releasing their hands would mean losing the mind to mind connection they still seemed to have, but they knew at some point they had to do so. Three highly trained Starfleet officers couldn't exactly go around holding hands all day. Finally they looked at each other, took a deep breath, and let go.

Jim could still feel the bonds that had developed, now that he knew they were there. Testing them out, he sent a naughty image of himself doing something to Nyota that would break 10 regulations if they were caught. She blushed and started laughing.

"It appears that the bond does not require continuous contact to maintain. That is satisfactory as it would be highly improper to maintain constant physical contact while on the bridge."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey Spock. What am I thinking about?" Jim couldn't resist teasing his first officer a bit and twisted the image of him and Nyota to include Spock as well.

"Fascinating." The tips of Spock's ears turned a slight shade of green.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

Sometimes those little voices in your head won't go away until you have written them out, and since I am currently obsessing over Star Trek 2009 fanfic, I knew I had to at least get this piece written down. For now it will be a one-shot as I have two other stories that I need to finish first, but there is a 87.3% chance that I will return to pick this up and turn it into the lovely smutty work that usually flows from my less than pristine mind. Until that point in time though, I will keep this at a T-rating just because I mentioned the idea of a threesome rather than the K+, it would normally get because it is so dang innocent. _(No seriously - if you have ever read any of my other work, you will know what I mean. I didn't even detail out that kiss between Nyota and Spock!)_

All of that being said... I would really appreciate any feedback that you may give. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to accurately portray Spock's (ummm... Spockiness?) and since I happen to think the reboot of Nyota Uhura is kick-ass I wanted to make sure she stays that way. Now if I could only find a way to make Benedict Cumberbatch's voice come across in literary form... Oh well, I will keep imagining that man reading me, well, anything.

Cheers!

shaysdragon


End file.
